Starting Wednesday, the grocery chain will deliver more than 50,000 shelf-stable products like coffee, snacks, cereal, canned goods, and bulk sizes of paper towels and toilet paper to customers' homes for free on orders costing more than $35.

The service, called Kroger Ship, is designed to combat growing competition from Amazon, Walmart, and Target, which also offer free shipping on tens of thousands of consumer staples.

The service will offer customers exclusive discounts through promotional codes and a subscription model that provides 5% discounts on items that customers order regularly.

Kroger is initially launching the service in four cities: Cincinnati, Houston, Louisville, and Nashville.

The company says it is prepared to rapidly expand it to other markets over the next several months.

Kroger Kroger Ship is different from the company's existing delivery service through ClickList, which offers delivery of perishables like fresh produce, dairy, and meat, along with shelf-stable items to customers' homes. ClickList delivery costs $11.95 in the Richmond, Virginia, area.

During the launch phase, customers will receive free shipping — no minimum purchase required — and a 15% discount on their orders with a promo code.

"Kroger's ecommerce platform expands our offering beyond the physical store to include even more products," Yael Cosset, Kroger's chief digital officer, said in a statement. "Along with staples and customer favorites, Kroger Ship will carry bulk and additional sizes, and focus on our brands, local and international food and flavors, specialty items, and health and wellness products — making it easier than ever before to be your family's hero at mealtime, or anytime."